LHKE Ch25

After dinner, Lu Changting said, “Let’s take a walk around the school. I haven’t been back in years.”

Shen Li lowered his head slightly and responded with a soft “Mm.”

His fingers curled nervously as he followed Lu Changting toward the school. For a moment, it felt like they were back in high school. Back then, he would only dare to blend into the crowd, secretly following Lu Changting from afar. But now, he was walking right beside him…

The sunlight cast their shadows side by side, stretching them long and slanted. As they walked, their hands lightly brushed against each other. Shen Li’s fingers twitched, then clenched tightly as he withdrew his hand.

The air was filled with a warm yet slightly crisp woody fragrance. Out of the corner of his eye, their shadows appeared as if they were holding hands, walking side by side.

Lu Changting smiled slightly, glancing toward the basketball court in the distance. “Has the basketball court been renovated?”

The color of the rubber flooring looked much newer.

Shen Li followed his gaze. “It was renovated last year.”

“In high school, I had six basketballs confiscated.” Lu Changting walked to the shade of the trees by the basketball court, recalling his high school days with a faint smile. “The dean never returned them to me, even after graduation.”

Back then, the school had a new dean who was strict about school discipline. Students were prohibited from bringing basketballs onto school grounds, and they weren’t allowed to play during breaks. If a basketball was spotted, it would be confiscated. To play, they had to borrow a basketball from the equipment room, but those weren’t good quality. So, he secretly brought his own, getting caught by the dean several times.

Looking at the familiar basketball court, Lu Changting suddenly remembered something. “I recall someone in your class named Du Heng? He often played basketball with me.”

“Yes,” Shen Li replied softly. “He was the sports committee member.”

“We were pretty close in high school.” Lu Changting paused, his tone slightly nostalgic. “But we lost touch after graduation.”

“That happens with a lot of friends and classmates from high school,” Shen Li said. “Everyone goes through it.”

Lu Changting asked, “Did you also lose touch with him?”

“We still keep in contact, but not often,” Shen Li said. “He works in City B, so he only comes back at the end of the year.”

Friendships between men don’t really rely on constant communication. They might not text or call each other much throughout the year, but when Du Heng returns to S City, Shen Li always picks him up. And Du Heng always makes sure they go out for drinks and dinner. If either of them needed help, one phone call would be enough.

“It sounds like you two are pretty close,” Lu Changting remarked, feeling a bit down. He and Du Heng had been good friends in high school, and Shen Li was also close to Du Heng. Their classes were so close, and they had a mutual friend. So why had he never known about Shen Li?

Shen Li responded with a simple “Mm,” adding, “He was probably my only friend in high school.”

Even though their friendship had started with copying homework.

Lu Changting turned his head to look at him, suddenly not wanting to continue talking about Du Heng, so he awkwardly changed the subject. “What did you like to do in high school?”

“Daydream, I guess.” Shen Li mentally added, Daydream while watching you.

Lu Changting chuckled. He could almost immediately picture a boy with a dreamy gaze, staring out the window, with neatly stacked books on the desk, sitting quietly in the corner of the classroom. If he had walked past Class 16 and glanced inside, he would have seen him right away.

But unfortunately, he rarely passed by Class 16 and never looked inside.

As his gaze swept over the small building next to the basketball court, Lu Changting asked, “Have you heard the ghost story about that building?”

Shen Li was momentarily stunned, his eyes lowering. “I have.”

Having found a common ground, Lu Changting’s tone lightened. “On the first night of our freshman year, did you also go to that building?”

Shen Li answered with a soft “Mm.”

Lu Changting laughed, “Did the teachers catch you?”

“No.” Shen Li squeezed his palm, unsure if it was the heat or his nerves, but a thin layer of sweat had formed in his palm.

He asked in return, “What about you?”

“Me neither.” The smile reached Lu Changting’s eyes as he curved his lips, “I even pulled along a confused classmate.”

For some reason, Shen Li suddenly wanted to laugh.

So, Lu Changting did remember him.

Yes, Lu Changting had casually pulled him along, but Shen Li had remembered Lu Changting for years.

“Come to think of it, even though we didn’t know each other in high school, we went through a lot together,” Lu Changting began to list events from his memory, “Like exploring that building at night, military training, the sports meet, the coming-of-age ceremony…”

As he spoke, Lu Changting suddenly stopped.

He didn’t know Shen Li, but Shen Li knew him. Did that mean Shen Li knew about his high school romance too?

After so many years, it seemed bringing it up would make it look like he hadn’t moved on. He sighed inwardly and changed the subject again.

They continued walking and chatting, eventually bringing up the topic of Shen Li’s social media post.

Shen Li had been a bit nervous all day, completely letting Lu Changting steer the conversation.

When he heard Lu Changting ask with a smile why he was at school so late that night and whether he had climbed over the wall in the end, he instinctively touched his palm.

The scar from the glass shard was no longer visible.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to come back and take a walk.”

Lu Changting asked, “Were you alone?”

Shen Li replied, “I was with Jiang Chifeng.”

Lu Changting raised an eyebrow. “He’s from your school?”

After confirming his feelings, Lu Changting had looked into Jiang Chifeng.

Knowing that Jiang Chifeng had a partner eased some of his hostility toward him, but the fact that Jiang Chifeng and Shen Li were genuinely close still made Lu Changting jealous whenever he heard his name.

“No, he’s from Second High School,” Shen Li replied honestly, not noticing the sour tone in Lu Changting’s voice. “I called him to come out.”

“He’s the only friend who comes whenever I call.”

Lu Changting paused in his steps, looking at him with deep eyes. “Next time, you can call me.”

Shen Li didn’t react immediately, responding with a puzzled “Hm?”

“Next time, you can call me,” Lu Changting repeated seriously. “I’ll come whenever you call.”

Shen Li froze for a moment, his Adam’s apple moving nervously as he swallowed. His fingers unconsciously clenched.

Was this… a dream?

“What’s wrong?” Seeing that Shen Li didn’t respond, Lu Changting’s tone turned a bit disappointed. “Jiang Chifeng is okay, but I’m not?”

“You…” Shen Li began, his voice hoarse. He slowly released his fingers, looking at Lu Changting, afraid that this was just a fleeting dream, not daring to blink. “You are.”

“Then it’s settled,” Lu Changting said with a smile. “Next time, call me.”

As they reached the school auditorium, Lu Changting suddenly asked, “Is the side door still there?”

Calling it an auditorium wasn’t quite accurate. The First High School’s auditorium was a large building next to the science lab. The first floor was the auditorium, which also served as a gymnasium, complete with a stage, control room, indoor basketball court, and a fitness center. The second, third, and fourth floors were music classrooms and practice rooms, and the fifth floor was a dance studio.

On weekends, the auditorium building would be locked. The doors to the second-floor hallway were locked separately, and the classrooms were also secured. Sneaking into the music rooms or dance rooms on weekends was an impossible task, but there was a small side door on the first floor. It was an old iron gate, and the lock had always been broken. The door appeared closed, but a simple push would open it.

The small side door was about the size of a regular house door, located on the back of the building, and was rarely used. It was surrounded by a small bamboo grove, with lush vegetation that partially concealed the door. Only the students of the school knew of its existence.

Shen Li immediately understood what Lu Changting meant and was somewhat tempted. “It’s still there.”

The small side door was the same as before, with evergreen ivy climbing all over the corners of the walls. The leaves were dense, with clear veins, overlapping one another. When the wind blew, it looked like a green wave rippling gently.

Inside the wide gymnasium, the floor was covered with hardwood, and at the front stood a tall stage. The lights and curtains were quiet, and in the corner sat a piano covered with a black dust cloth, like a loyal guardian of the auditorium, standing quietly year after year.

Shen Li looked at the piano, his peripheral vision resting on Lu Changting, his gaze both gentle and intense.

He stepped up onto the stage, lifted the dust cover, and gently touched the piano lid.

“Can you play?” Lu Changting opened the piano lid and looked at him.

Shen Li lowered his head, his slender fingers brushing over the black and white keys. He slowly pressed a few notes, producing a fragmented rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” in the empty, silent auditorium.

With his index finger resting on the C note, Shen Li pressed his lips together. “You played ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations’ at the New Year’s Eve party that year.”

For a long time, he would fall asleep each night to the memory of that tune, his thoughts filled with private, tangled emotions that only he knew.

Lu Changting didn’t expect him to remember that. He naturally picked up where Shen Li had left off, continuing to play. His fingers relaxed on the keys, each joint distinctly visible, his hands skillfully dancing across the black and white keys, producing a lively and flowing melody.

His fingertips seemed to tap out the twinkling of stars, the piano’s sound flowing like a stream, crisp and bright, continuously overlapping and increasing in speed.

The handsome man sat at the piano, his foot on the pedal, head slightly lowered, his gaze focused on the keys. His hands played fluently, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, with perfect control.

Shen Li watched Lu Changting, his eyes filled with seriousness and tenderness.

His heart, concealed by the piano music, beat faster and faster, thumping loudly as if trying to keep up with the rhythm of the music. Even after the music stopped, his heart continued to pound like a drum, unable to calm down for a long time.

“Who’s in the auditorium?!” A stern voice suddenly called out from the side door by the basketball court. The glass door revealed the scene inside the auditorium. Lu Changting quickly grabbed Shen Li by the wrist and ducked under the piano, the black dust cover falling down, hiding their figures.

The space under the piano was cramped, just enough to fit the two grown men. Shen Li was almost nestled in Lu Changting’s arms. Instinctively, he tried to move back, but his head hit the piano, making a dull thud.

“Don’t move.” Lu Changting leaned in closer, placing his hand between Shen Li’s head and the piano. He gently patted Shen Li’s head, “Don’t make a sound.”

Shen Li’s heart stopped for a moment, holding his breath.

It was too close.

His face flushed, and his heart started racing again.

He suddenly closed his eyes, then very softly leaned on Lu Changting’s shoulder, obediently lowering his head.

In the darkness, all their senses were heightened—the sound of their erratic heartbeats, their entangled breathing… Lu Changting, through the faint light filtering in, looked at him and asked in a low voice, “Did you hurt yourself?”

Shen Li shook his head slightly.

Lu Changting gazed at his quietly lowered eyes, his fingers twitching with restraint.

He struggled between decorum and impulse, but in the end, he controlled himself and shifted his gaze away, focusing on the noises outside.

After a while, there was no more sound. The teacher on duty seemed to have left. Lu Changting looked at Shen Li, feeling that if they stayed like this any longer, it would be too much of a test of his self-control, so he tried to get up.

But as soon as he moved, Shen Li tugged at the corner of his shirt.

In a small voice, Shen Li hesitated, “…Let’s wait a bit longer.”

Let him stay like this, just a little longer.

Just for a moment longer, he wasn’t asking for much.